Out of the Tower and into Academia
by SiennaBrown
Summary: Modern Day College AU involving the Disney Princes and Princesses. Rapunzel is the main character, with Eugene Fitzherbert accompanying her to the college of her dreams. The school has many majors to choose from, although she's already set on hers. In addition, there are many students ripe for befriending. She just has to get to know them first.


Rapunzel awoke with a start, pain blooming over her forehead with the searing pain of one thousand suns. She pressed a hand to the injured spot and sat up, lessening the amount of pressure against her collarbone. The blonde looked at her chest, recognizing the seatbelt that cut between her boobs and tried to strangle her short frame every fifteen minutes. She was in her best friend's car, which had stopped moving because he had hit the brakes too hard. Again.

"Eugene."

"Yes, Sleeping Beauty?" She glowered at his sarcasm and rubbed her head a little.

"How did you get your driver's license if you clearly have no concept of how a brake pedal works?"

He laughed a little, "That's your fault for being asleep and not paying attention. We're here. Have a look." He gestured to her window. The petite girl struggled with her now stuck seatbelt. Her heart raced. College! She was finally away from the tangled mess that was Mother Gothel's home. She grimaced at the thought, but won the battle with the seatbelt and looked out her window.

They were in a parking lot. The pavement had fresh paint, which showed the blonde that Eugene had just taken up three parking spaces with his beat-up truck. She made a mental note to make a fake ticket and stick it to his windshield later. Beyond the small lot were some decorative trees and shrubberies, as well as a few buildings and clean walkways. Her face slowly cracked into the happiest smile she had ever felt grace her cheeks.

"I can't believe we're going to live here!" Eugene's keychain jangled as he turned the engine off. Rapunzel reached to unbuckle without looking, totally missing her seatbelt and hitting her friend's hands instead.

"Blondie, what the fuck."

"Sorry, seatbelt-" Her fingers pressed against the button, releasing her seatbelt. The metal part snaked up and hit her in the face. She sighed, disentangled her long hair from the contraption, and slammed the door open. Upon touching the ground, the girl realized that she wasn't wearing shoes. She leaned into the truck, knocked a few soda bottles to the pavement, and resurfaced with her flip-flops. She glanced up to see Eugene smiling at her the same way he normally did when flirting with girls. She pressed her eyebrows upwards and narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

He shrugged, opening his own door, "Nothing, it's just that your skirt is stuck in your underwear in the back."

"Why wouldn't you tell me this sooner!?" She felt her cheeks go white as horror filled her stomach. She prayed that nobody was near enough to have seen or hear what just happened. Her hands flailed around to her backside, straightening her skirt. She hated Eugene so much sometimes. But other than his ridiculously playful tendencies, he was a great friend. Rapunzel grabbed her purse from up on the seat and trotted around to the back, where all of their personal belongings resided. It had been a four hour car trip, made into nearly six and a half because of all the moving-day traffic.

"Alright, Blondie. You're on the third floor of this dorm and I'm on the fourth, so I'll help you carry all of your shit if you help me carry all of mine." She nodded and watched as he climbed into the bed of the truck. Before long, her arms were filled to the brim with boxes and backpacks and a suitcase. The blonde staggered under the weight, but managed to arrange everything in a way that she could make it up the stairs.

"Scream if you need any help!"

She rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see, "Sure thing, Eugene."

He chuckled. She solidified her parking ticket prank. She had to swipe into the building, which was easy since they had mailed her an ID card. The school's colors were prominent, silver and gold cascading over the shiny surface. They were underneath of the photo she had turned in. She squinted at the photo. Something about it had been bothering her ever since she got it in the mail.

She was cross-eyed in the photo. Swearing under her breath, the girl swiped her card on the panel next to the door, then shuffled inside when it unlatched. Rapunzel stuffed her ID into her purse and dug around for her keys as she ascended the stairs, dragging a suitcase and some backpacks along behind. Her arm was getting tired.

Three flights of stairs and several thoughts revolving around regret later, The blonde made it to her floor! The dorm was co-ed but separated by floor, so every other floor had girls and vice versa for the boys. Mother Gothel had insisted that she only apply to all-female colleges. She made a face, glad that her real parents didn't care where she went. They just wanted her to be happy.

She had to call them, but she also had to find her room first. Rapunzel looked at each door she passed, saying three-oh-four so many times that the numbers lost all meaning. She almost walked past her door because she wasn't paying attention. The blonde set down some of her things and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. So she hadn't beaten her roommate after all. The girl sighed, hoping that whatever bed she was left with was in a nice spot.

She gently opened the door, poking her head into the room, "hello?"

A short-haired girl with blood-red lips came into view. Her delicate pale hand gently shoved the door open the whole way and she smiled, pearly white teeth on full display. Rapunzel felt her heart melt. Why did her roommate have to be drop dead gorgeous?

"Oh, hi! You must be Rapunzel! I'm Margarete, your new roommate." She stuck a hand out for the blonde to shake. Her grip was firm and also cold as ice. Rapunzel hoped her own hand was a normal temperature.

"Nice to meet you, Margarete! Do you have a preferred nickname?"

"Maggie is fine." Maggie, then. Rapunzel looked around the room. Her roommate's outfit was absolutely fabulous. High-waisted skinny jeans that zipped the whole way up the side and a yellow crop top that had little red hearts on the short sleeves made the girl's heart do somersaults.

"Have you claimed a bed yet?" Her new roommate shook her head, then propped the door open with a spare shoe. The blonde heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"Rapunzel, are you telling me that you've been standing outside of your dorm for twenty minutes?" Eugene sounded like he was going to strangle her with her own hair. She gave him a toothy grin, "Mayhaps."

Margarete- Maggie smiled, "Well, I wanted to wait for my roommate to show up before I picked a spot. Didn't want to be that asshole, you know?"

Rapunzel grabbed her boxes and bags and walked through the doorway. There was a bed under a window but only one side was against the wall, and there was a bed against a corner. Two desks were pushed up against the wall, and a minifridge with a microwave bolted to the top rattled away. There wasn't a whole lot of space, but it was big enough for her. The blonde took a deep breath.

"Well, Maggie, which bed would you prefer?" The black haired girl tapped her chin, observing the space that was clogged with plastic storage bins.

"I'm a fan of windows, to be honest. Could I have that one? As long as you don't mind, of course!" Eugene snorted.

"You guys are going to be perfect roommates. Way too nice to each other."

"Shut up, Eugene."

"It's the truth." He set the stuff he was carrying on the bed that Maggie hadn't claimed.

"In any case, Maggie, it's fine with me!" She liked having walls. There was something about only being able to fall off one side of the bed that made her feel safer. She put her bags on the bed and the boxes underneath.

"So, are you two a couple?"

Rapunzel nearly choked on thin air. Eugene laughed, the deep tones rolling around the room.

"No, definitely not, oh my goodness!" She was blushing. This wasn't the first time that she and Eugene had been mistaken for a couple. And sure, he was hot. Like, legs that didn't quit and abs out the wazoo sort of hot. But he was a bit of a playboy and she really liked him better as a friend than a fling. She pressed her hands against her hot cheeks, wishing that she wasn't such an easy blusher.

"Ouch. Thanks, Blondie."

"Shut up."

Maggie smiled as she tucked some sheets onto her bed. Rapunzel gave her a small smile and shoved Eugene back out the door, not speaking to him until they were in the stairwell.

"You know what I meant, Eugene! We are friends! Very good friends! Friendship!" He just cackled as they made their way back to the truck, which was officially parked in exactly one space. He must have fixed it after she left. He was a dick, but he usually made amends.

"Alright, I'm giving you the last of your shit and I'll take mine up to my room. I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes." He winked. She stuck her tongue out at him as he handed her the last few boxes. College was going to be fun, she could feel it.


End file.
